If you saw our recent post about Terri heading to Denmark in search of Vikings, you may be wondering what she found. Wonder no more! In this Vikingology Podcast episode, C.J. and Terri talk about the places that resonated the most for her, all of which she has been teaching about for years but never got to experience firsthand until now.
First up, Terri discusses the Ladby Ship on the island of Fyn — a burial mound experience like no other. Extremely impressive, but also visceral in the way it transported her back to the Viking Age.
The next highlight was all the treasures at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen where they have a beautiful exhibit about Viking Age history complete with hundreds of artifacts ranging from weapons to coins to jewelry and even a very large Viking ship. They also have the Hjortspring Boat, a much older vessel that may be something of a precursor to the famed Viking longship and which C.J. has written and given a public talk about that you can check out on his website.
Terri then headed to the royal sites of Jelling and the Trelleborg and Fyrkat Fortresses, all constructed during the reign of Danish King Harald Bluetooth — yes, that one for whom your wireless technology is named — in the late-10th century as expressions of his power. Terri wrote a piece about Harald, who looms pretty large in the Danish imagination regarding the origins of their nation and monarchy.
Last, it was off to Lindholme Høje, a major burial site in northern Jutland with around 700 stone settings, many in the shape of a ship. Visually and spiritually stunning!
We end this episode as we often do, by meandering into other things such as movies and historical fiction authors, but we bring things back around to Denmark and Terri’s final impressions of it as a very content, clean, well-designed place that is extremely family friendly. Go to Denmark and take your kids with you! None of you will regret it.
You can also check out Terri’s other posts about her travels in Denmark on her personal Substack.
Terri's Search for Vikings in Denmark: An Update